Resident Evil: Kindred Spirits
by Clairedfld
Summary: Back in the U.S., Claire finds herself helping Marcy, a mysterious anti-Umbrella agent, infiltrate one of Umbrella's original lab facilities. FINISHED!!!! R&R please!
1. Default Chapter

Oki doki! Just few things before you read my fic! I don't own "Resident Evil," or any of the characters from the games or movie. I just made up the story and a few characters ;)  
  
The story takes place about a month and a half after the events in RE:Code Veronica X. X-S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield heads back to the U.S. after rescuing his sister, Claire Redfield. Chris and Claire meet up with Jill Valentine, another former S.T.A.R.S. member, in New York City. The three share an apartment and keep a low profile while searching for any information about how to take down the Umbrella Corporation.  
  
This story also has spoilers from RE (the remake, too!), RE2, RE3:Nemesis, RE:CvX, and the RE movie ::phew::  
  
I'll try to update weekly! Hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to review!! Thanks!  
  
Prolouge "This is My Life..."  
  
This is my life.  
  
It wasn't always like this- it never used to be like this. There's nothing else I would rather do than ride my bike, the wind pushing me- no,helping me- to Raccoon to see my brother at his workplace- the Raccoon City Police Department building.  
  
But I don't have my bike anymore.  
  
Raccoon City is gone- demolished.  
  
And my brother no longer works for the R.P.D. S.T.A.R.S. In fact, one of his old co-workers tried to kill both him and me on our last "escapade." How cheery...  
  
...our last escapade...  
  
Why did I even bring that up? I really, truly thought I was doing just fine with the loss of Steve.  
  
jeez, I make it sound like I've known him my whole life! I only knew him from Rockfort!  
  
Anyway, even about a month after he...I lost him, it still haunted me. It still does. I've come to accept that now.  
  
Umbrella will pay.  
  
They'll pay dearly for causing so much pain and suffering for my brother, for demolishing a city that held too many memories to remember, for murdering countless numbers of innocent people with their experiments...  
  
There's also Leon and Sherry; both of their lives were changed forever because of Umbrella. Leon's career as a cop in Raccoon was destroyed even before he arrived for his first day of work. Poor Sherry Birkin's parents are dead- you guessed it- because of Umbrella and their greed.  
  
They'll pay...  
  
But my brother tells me I shouldn't get involved, that it's too dangerous, that after Rockfort I should (quote Mr. Overprotective himself,) "Take it easy."  
  
He should know by now that it's too late... I'm already involved.  
  
This is my life..... 


	2. The Beginning

Chapter 1"the Beginning"  
  
A new mission...  
  
Just what he wanted to hear. After recovering-just barely- from the last mission, a weary Leon S. Kennedy patiently sat across from Commander William Brady. Okay, so he wasn't really an "official" commander. Their organization wasn't exactly "official," either; a more appropriate word would be "underground." Fighting to keep his tired eyes open, Leon listened as Brady explained the latest attempt to bring the Umbrella Corporation's sinister activities to light.  
  
"Kennedy, you'll be working with...what did you say your name was again?"  
  
A timid looking girl slowly glided out from the protective darkness of the shadows.  
  
"My name's Marcy."  
  
"Marcy...Marcy what?"  
  
Marcy turned to look the gruff commander strait in the eyes. "Just Marcy, sir."  
  
Her intense stare was enough to make Commander Brady advert his gaze from Marcy's cold eyes to the blank, lifeless wall behind her. He stammered clumsily before finally finding his words.  
  
"Um, ah....well, then...Kennedy, I trust you'll fill Marcy in on the more specific details of the mission?"  
  
Brady's grating voive brought Leon back from "the zone" between sleep and consciousness.  
  
"Y-yes, sir...um, n-no problems, sir."  
  
He was exhausted; there was no hiding it from the commander. Brady couldn't blame him, though. Three major missions thrown on top of the Raccoon City disaster was enough to drive any normal person insane. There was something about Kennedy Brady couldn't quite figure out. Out of all the agents he had working for him, Kennedy seemed to be the most determined. Maybe something else happened that night in Raccoon...maybe he lost someone close to him? Brady never bothered to ask him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask him now. Leon was his best agent- that's all that mattered.  
  
"That'll be all."  
  
Turning sharply, Brady headed down the dimly lit, industrial-looking hallway. The moisture hung in the air- stagnant- creating a sickeningly think, heavy atmosphere in the cramped facility. The musty smell it created inhabited every corner, every room, every hallway of the headquarters.  
  
As Marcy turned to greet her new partner, feelings of jealousy and intense anger resurfaced in her damaged soul.  
  
"Of all people...a Raccoon City survivor..."  
  
"So, you're Leon I gather? Nice to meet you."  
  
She was young- maybe 18, if that, and she was already mixed up with Umbrella. Definitely younger than Claire.  
  
"Claire must be at least 20 by now...I hope she's doing okay..."  
  
The last time Leon had heard from her was when she e-mailed him from Rockfort Island. It was her brother, Chris, that had contacted him after the two escaped to horrors in Antarctica. He had asked if he could speak to Claire, but Chris told him she was sleeping. For some reason, Leon didn't buy that, but just knowing she was alive was enough for him.  
  
Smiling, Leon met Marcy's icy gaze.  
  
"Yea, that's me. Leon Ke-"  
  
"So when do you want to get this assignment started?"  
  
Even Marcy herself was suprised by the sharpness of her words. She turned away from Leon, freeing herself from the conversation and whatever comments Leon had about getting started so rashly. It was rather rash... come to think of it, Marcy didn't even know where the mission was sending them. For all she knew, they could be flying to Guam this time tomorrow.  
  
As she headed back to her temporary room, Marcy projected her voice so Leon could still hear her.  
  
"4:00 AM... you better be ready...I don't tolerate slackers!"  
  
At a loss for words, Leon turned around and headed back to his own room hidden deep within the subsurface facility; he figured he would need to gather up any extra supplies needed for the mission. When dealing with Umbrella, any extra supplies were a necessity.  
  
"4:00 AM, huh? Taking down Umbrella's a hard job..."  
  
Hearing that word- especially spoken by his own voice- unfurled a myriad of emotions in him; funny...all of them were rooted in anger and hatred. Leon continued to speak softly to himself as he rounded the corner.  
  
"It's a hard job... but somebody's gotta do it." 


	3. Made In Heaven

Chapter 2 "Made in Heaven"  
  
"I'm going, and that's it! Stop being so...so...old, and farty about it!"  
  
"Claire, I'm just trying to protect you! Umbrella knows about us now. They know about you, and- did you just call me "old?" And "farty!?"  
  
Claire Redfield's hand apprehensively clutched the rickety brass doorknob of the apartment. At the small, round table located in the kitchenette sat a cautious Jill Valentine, gently sipping her coffee and observing the Redfield siblings as the quarreled- once again- about Claire going out by herself. Ever since Chris and Claire returned from the nightmares called Rockfort and Antarctica, Chris had taken it upon himself to keep a closer eye on his sister.  
  
To Claire, it was too close for her liking.  
  
The siblings began to argue more- about anything and everything- after Chris boldly announced his lock-down on Claire. He was concerned about Umbrella finding her- it was always an issue, but not as big of an issue as Wesker was.  
  
Wesker...  
  
Chris knew the traitor wanted to see him suffer, and that he would do anything to get to him- including hurting Claire. He couldn't take that chance.  
  
"Listen, Chris, I'm 20 now...I'm fully capable of walking down the stairs, out of the building, and down two blocks to-"  
  
"Claire, that's not the point! I know you're fully capable, but guess what!? Wesker is also capable of finding you! Do you know what will happen to you if-"  
  
"Yes, I KNOW!!"  
  
Jill silently stopped sipping her coffee, thinking to herself. "Bad move, Chris...don't try to remind her of Rockfort..."  
  
For the first time in the past ten minutes, there was silence. No one spoke, no one moved. The stillness of the air was disrupted when Claire quickly- violently- opened the door. Chris darted over to the door and placed his hand on his sister's shoulder in a futile attempt to stop her.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Claire turned her head and shot a cold gaze at her overprotective brother. "I'm going...to get...a cup of tea...from 7-11."  
  
...silence...  
  
"There's a first time for everything," Jill thought,"and that must be the first time I've ever seen Chris Redfield at a loss for words."  
  
Deeply embarassed by her outburst, Claire lowered her head shamefully and turned around. Her now-small voice gently broke the dead silence.  
  
"Sooo...do you...want anything? When I'm out?"  
  
Chris removed his hand from his sister's shoulder. The tone in her unnaturally mousy voice let Chris know she was sorry.  
  
"No...that's okay. I'm fine."  
  
He didn't want to close the door until she was completely out of his site- and out of his control.  
  
"Made In Heaven."  
  
Chris cracked a smile at the site of the words proudly displayed on is sister's back.  
  
"Made in Heaven...that's for sure." 


	4. And so We Meet Again

*note- I wrote this fanfic almost a year ago, and I didn't realize that there are NO 7-11's in the city! Now that I live there, I see it's all about the Dunkin Donuts..yea, I know, silly note, but I just thought I would bring it up (  
  
Chapter 3 "And So We Meet Again..."  
It was big, it was loud, and it was bright, but Claire loved New York City. It reminded her of Raccoon a little bit, but the big apple was definitely something else. After returning from Antarctica, Chris and Claire were lucky enough to run into Jill. She was more than happy to let the two stay at her apartment- especially Chris. It frustrated Claire to no end when she thought about the two of them; "Why can't they just tell each other how they feel? They're both gonna drive me crazy!!!"  
  
  
  
Chris and Claire weren't the only ones having "adventures" with the undead; Jill told them all about the horrors of escaping Raccoon in its final hours. The way she described the...thing that followed her... it was terrifying.  
  
Claire quickly shook the thought out of her head. The mental picture of the "Nemesis" loomed in her mind's eye.  
  
"And to think...I was running around Raccoon WITH that thing- no, not a thing. More like another victim of Umbrella's misdeeds."  
  
How could Umbrella intentially do that to somebody? From Jill's vivid description it was at one point in time, in fact, a human being.  
  
"...S.T.A.R.S..."  
  
  
  
She was doing it again.  
  
"Claire! Stop it! Stop thinking about it!"  
  
Maybe Chris was right all along. Should she "take it easy," maybe go back to her college?  
  
No- not possible. Not now.  
  
Above the sea of people, Claire could make out the glowing neon "7-11" sign. Picking up her pace, she weaved in and out of the crowd.  
  
"Shesh...I feel like I'm in a video game..."Frogger," or something like that..."  
  
(author's note- Zen, I'm sorry! i can't do the space between the paragraphs anymore! it's driving me nucking futs! [pic] and it's kinda disrupting the flow of my writing style..sorry! i'll try it again next time...)  
  
Finally- the door.  
  
As soon as she stepped in, Claire was bombarded with the heavy scent of freshly-brewed coffee. Making her way past the Slurpee machine, she grabbed a large styrofome cup.  
  
"Do they even KNOW how long it takes for this stuff to break down?"  
  
Enough with questioning the ethics of the cup- she needed a nice, hot cup of tea. Two sugars and two creamers, just the way she liked it.  
  
"I guess I should make one for Chris, too. I feel like such a total ass..."  
  
Without looking, she reached for another large cup. When her hand collided with someone else's, Claire jumped, nearly dropping her precious cup of two sugar/two creamer tea to the floor.  
  
"I'm sorry! I didn't see you there and I-"  
  
Claire's heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw who her hand clumsily crashed into. He wasn't a ghost, although the pale look on her face suggested something else. "Maybe it's not him," she thought. It had to be him though; How could she forget those eyes...  
  
"...those blue eyes..."  
  
"Claire?"  
  
That voice...  
  
"Claire? Oh my god, it's really you!"  
  
For a while, Claire was beginning to think he had forgotten about her, but here he was; Standing right in front of her, talking to her.  
  
Hugging her.  
  
Any attempt Claire had made bafore to save her tea from colliding with the floor was for naught. The shock of seeing Leon again- after so long!- caught her completely off guard.  
  
"Leon...I-I can't believe it's actually you! Where have you been?"  
  
"Around."  
  
Claire laughed softly. "Around? Well, that's not at all cryptic, is it?"  
  
He couldn't help cracking a smile. "Yea, well, around is a lot more complicated than it sounds."  
  
"I can imagine."  
  
Glancing down at the floor, Leon spotted the fumbled styrofome cup. He picked it up and, jokingly, handed it back to Claire.  
  
"Miss Redfield, I belive this belongs to you?"  
  
She quickly snatched it out of his hand. "Why, thank you, Officer Kennedy. What ever would I do if you weren't around?"  
  
Their laughter was abruptly cut short when a fairly tall girl with long, brown hair (braided into pigtails) seemed to materialize from thin air.  
  
"Leon, who's this?"  
  
"Leon, who's this?!"  
  
Who was this girl? Why was she with Leon? The joy of seeing him again was shattered just like that.  
  
"Maybe he did Forget about me."  
  
"Oh, Claire, this is Marcy. She's a friend from, ah, work. I'm kinda showing her the ropes- she's on her first formal assignment."  
  
...phew...  
  
A smile re-appeared on Claire's face as she shook Marcy's hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Marcy. I'm Claire, Claire Redfield."  
  
"Ohhh, so you're THE Claire Redfield. I've heard about you..."  
  
Blushing, Leon hurried the conversation along. Claire and Marcy exchanged knowing looks- the kind of looks that get their meaning across without any spoken words.  
  
"Okay, so maybe he didn't forget about me, after all!"  
  
"ahem, ANYWAY...you live in NYC now?"  
  
Claire nodded her haed, ponytail swaying. "Yup. Actually, we- Chris and I- live with a friend. What about you?"  
  
Marcy and Leon both looked to the empty spaces on either side of themselves."  
  
"Leon?"  
  
With a serious tone and demeanor, Leon slowly leaned in closer to Claire. His voice was barely audible- no louder than a whisper.  
  
"Actually, we're here on a mission."  
  
"A...a mission?"  
  
Marcy glanced in back of her, above her- all around. Claire immediately knew who whe was looking for.  
  
"It's Umbrella, isn't it?"  
  
Leon nodded and gently spoke again.  
  
"Yea..."  
  
Claire quickly attached the the lid onto the surviving tea.  
  
"Well, then, we can't talk about it here. Come on..."  
  
Turning to the now-intrigued Marcy, Leon motioned with his hand as he followed Claire to the exit of the 7-11.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
* * * * * * *  
"I work for an underground anti-Umbrella organization... it's been nearly 8 months since I've joined. Marcy is from another branch of the organization."  
  
"This is actually my first field experience,"chirped Marcy. "I usually stay at the base gathering information, hacking- stuff like that."  
  
A pensive Chris stared out of the apartment's window into the night sky. It was heavily polluted with light from all of the surrounding signs. He hadn't spoken a word since Leon started explaining his organization and it's goals. The mission that he and Marcy were on- it was a risky one. He could just tell by the way the former cop and his partner spoke. Leon continued...  
  
"...so we've been given this small window of oppurtunity. This mission is key to bringing down Umbrella and combatting them with less risk."  
  
Reaching into his back pocket, Leon pulled out a small, fold-up map of Long Island (author's note: that's where I live..it's right next to NYC just in case you didn't know [pic] ). Pointing to a circled point on the map, Leon explained even further.  
  
"Right here is the location of one of Umbrella's 'secret' lab facilities-"  
  
Claire immediately recognized the area he was pointing to. "Leon, that's not an Umbrella lab... that's Stonybrook University. You know, a college? With students and teachers? I have a few friends that go there."  
  
He didn't answer. Jill couldn't believe what he was saying.  
  
"Leon, you don't mean-"  
  
"Yes, I do. Umbrella is using the college's advanced laboratory technology for it's ,ahem, 'research and development.'"  
  
"Those bastards," Claire whispered under her breath, "haven't they done enough damage in Raccoon?! When will it stop!?"  
  
"It won't."  
  
All eyes turned to Marcy, who stood silent until now. She slowly stepped next to Leon. He still had the crumpled map in his hand.  
  
"It won't stop...that's why we have to do something about it."  
  
Looking right into her determined eyes, Claire could see Marcy wasn't in this as a service to somebody else. No, she was in this as a result of her own decision. Behind the determination, though, Claire sensed something else- something that went deeper. A while back when she was still searching for Chris, Claire had seen this same look in her own eyes when she looked into the mirror.  
  
"She's been hurt by Umbrella...and badly..."  
  
"Leon and I were instructed to hack into Stonybrook's computer system, upload any security codes, and find the exact location of the lab on the campus."  
  
Jill shook her head in disbelief. "This has gone too far. Leave it to Umbrella to use a college campus as it's cover-up."  
  
Marcy paused before continuing. "After we gather any information we need- and do it, hopefully, without being caught- our main objective is to infiltrate the lab."  
  
Her last sentence grabbed Chris' attention. "Infiltrate the lab?"  
  
Claire knew her brother was referring to her own unsuccessful actions when she snuck into Umbrella's HQ in Europe.  
  
"Infiltrate the lab, you said? That's a lot easier said than done."  
  
"Mr. Redfield," Marcy calmly retorted,"we are fully aware that dealing with Umbrella is, excuse the understatement, not a simple task. This mission won't leave us wandering the facility- we need to get in, complete our objective, and get out."  
  
Chris grew even more suspicious by the minute. "And, what exactly is your "Mission Objective," may I ask?"  
  
That sarcastice tone in his voice- Claire couldn't stand it. Why can't he see they are on the same side as him?  
  
"The objective, Mr.Redfield, is to retrieve several samples of the T- Virus anti-virus serum. According to our knowledge, Umbrella originally developed the anti-virus as this location." All eyes were on Marcy. "With the anti-virus not only will we have a way to deal with infection, we'll be able to conduct our own research. Commander Brady said it was even possible to develop a stronger weapon designed specifically to deal with T- Virus infected organisms."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
Claire glanced at her brother.  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes, you, Marcy. What do you personally have to do with Umbrella? I'm going to assume you must care if you're willing to risk your life for your cause."  
  
Even Jill was fed up with Chris' attitude. "Chris-"  
  
"Ms. Valentine, it's fine. If you must know, I personally would like to see Umbrella destroyed- nothing more than a pile of rubble where it's conglomerate forces once stood. We'll have proof, providing this mission works out."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Leon exchanged glances with an extremely agitated Claire. "Chris, that's eno-"  
  
"They killed my sister. They stole her from me...and as far as I know, they've killed my brother, as well."  
  
"killed her sister...and probably her brother, as well..."  
  
This frail-looking girl that stoof before them was probably stronger than all four of them put together. She had just revealed to them the source of her will and determination and her horrible past experience with Umbrella, and yet there she stood- much calmer than the rest of them. Chris' demanding attitude switched to that of a more brotherly one. "Marcy...look, I'm sorry..."  
  
"Don't pity me...I don't feel sorry for myself. You shouldn't either."  
  
"Killed her sister...brother is missing..."  
  
"Marcy, I'm not pitying you...I just- I wish we could help. We need to keep a low profile for now until the rest of our team is assembled."  
  
"No," Claire's mind screamed, "No- he can't be serious..."  
  
"Chris, this is our chance! Me wanting to go out, running into Leon, bringing him back here with Marcy- it's a sign! We have to-"  
  
"I'm sorry, Claire." Chris was just as anxious as his sister, but he couldn't reveal himself to Umbrella- not yet. "We need to meet up with Rebecca and Barry, first."  
  
Shaking her head, Claire snapped back at her brother. "Do you even know how stupid you sound!? W're so close!"  
  
Enough. Chris couldn't take this anymore. "Claire, we'll discuss this tomorrow...good night. Leon, Marcy- it was nice to meet you both."  
  
Without another word, he disappeared into his room. Claire heard the click of his door's lock. 


	5. Kindred Spirits

That last chapter makes it sound like I don't like Chris very much o_O but I do! He's one of my favs! On another note, I'm a C/L fan, but you all probably figured that out already.Hope you're all liking it so far, and please review! (thanks, LeonFan!) Also, I'm gonna update a little more than once a week I think because the fic is done, it's just a matter of when I can get online to update. Okay, so without further ado, here is chapter 4!  
  
Chapter 4   
  
"Kindred Spirits"  
  
Claire had the larger of the two guest rooms. As much as she loved her brother, she was not sharing a room with him; she wasn't about to start playing maid. She needed her space. Marcy, on the other hand, was more than welcome to stay in her room. After all, it would only be for a few nights.  
  
"Hey, Marcy?"  
  
She looked up from her lap top which, at the moment,displayed Marcy's own write-ups of past missions. With a tap of a key, the screen promptly disappeared.  
  
"Yes, Miss Redfield?"  
  
"Um, just 'Claire' is fine... you don't have to be that formal with me?"  
  
For the first time ever since meeting the enigmatic girl, Claire saw her smile.  
  
"Okay, Claire...what's up?"  
  
When Marcy had mentioned Umbrella's involvement with the death of her sister and the disappearance of her brother, Claire had immediately- and unknowingly- connected with the mysterious girl. She knew Marcy didn't want her pity or sympathy, but Claire couldn't help it. She suffered- and is still suffering- through the same ordeal Claire did when Chris was missing. What if Chris, like Marcy's sister, was killed? What if he was still missing? Claire couldn't bear the thought, much less live like that.  
  
"Um, Marcy...when, I mean, how did Umbrella, you know... your sister a- and your brother..." Marcy seemed to relax as Claire stuttered through her sentences, "...if you don't mind my asking, that is."  
  
"I was wondering when you were goin to ask me that."  
  
Closing her lap top, Marcy stood up and faced Claire. She explained as she slowly walked over to her.  
  
"About...I guess it was 10 months ago, my sister was in Umbrella's underground lab- you know, the one under Raccoon?"  
  
"Yea...I know."  
  
"I wish I didn't..."  
  
"Well, she started working in the Hive- that's the name of the lab- to obtain more info and the virus. it wasn't enough, so she hired a contact, along with my brother, to have access to securtiy codes, survalence papers- the works..."  
  
"The Hive...so that's what it was called..."  
  
Marcy continued her story as she sat next to Claire.  
  
"Anyway, to make a long, long story short, she was betrayed and the Hive's computer system shut the place down after a vial of the T-virus apparently broke and infected everyone down there.  
  
"10 months ago,"Claire thought,"that's before my brother even knew about the Spencer Mansion...she knows how this whole thing started..."  
  
Marcy's cold, icy gaze seemed to melt as she kept explaining.  
  
"Soon after he heard about this incident, my brother took action. He snuck into the Hive...I remember him asking me to make a fake R.P.D. I.D. for him..."She smiled, again- then it was gone as soon as it appeared."Oh- so he went, but..."  
  
"You haven't heard back from him yet?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'm just continuing his fight. 'Companies like Umbrella think they're above the law...but they're not.'"  
  
Claire looked at her. Marcy stood up again and turned her lap top back on. "My brother told me that once when I first asked him about Umbrella."  
  
Not wanting to delve any further into Marcy's life, Claire quickly switched subjects. "So, that 'window of opportunity' Leon was talking about before...what did he mean by that?"  
  
"You don't need to change the subject for my sake. I'm...okay, really..."  
  
Marcy had figured her out, but Claire could also see through her- she really wasn't okay. She couldn't blame her. There was a pause- silence- until Marcy motioned with her hand for Claire to come see the bright display on her lap top.  
  
"That 'window' he was talking about...he's referring to the time when all of Stonybrook's computer terminals will be deactivated- including security devices- for a system cleaning and update."  
  
She clicked around until she found the information she was looking for. As mysterious as she was, Marcy had typed her full name at the top of every report Claire had seen her scroll through: Marcy Addison.  
  
"They do this about...twice a year. The procedure requires them to shut down the computers on three seperate occasions within a 24 hour period."  
  
"Three?"  
  
"Yes, three. It's smarter to update in chunks rather than deactivate everything for a long stretch of time."  
  
"True..."  
  
"Anyway, we missed the first 'window.' The next one is at about 3:07 AM tonight, and then tomorrow at around 8:00 AM."  
  
Claire wanted to help her, needed to help her. "Marcy, I want to help."  
  
"But I thought your brother said-"  
  
"Never mind what he said... I'm my  
  
own Redfield, thank you very much."  
  
Marcy snickered a little. "You know, he kind of reminds me of my own brother. He always told me to never get involved with Umbrella, to leave that to him. He trusted me enough to tell me about it- bad move on his part... of course I would get involved after hearing what they've done."  
  
"Word to that."  
  
Both shared a much-needed moment of laughter before getting back on track. Marcy pointed to a blurb of numbers and letters on the glowing screen.  
  
"Some kind of...code?"  
  
"Marcy, that's not...when did you...Leon-"  
  
"What Leon doesn't know about the mission is that I've already breached their security codes and layout program. I know where the lab is located on the campus, but I need to access a program in the lab itself to find out where exactly they keep the anti-virus."  
  
The gears in Claire's head were turning rapidly. "Sooo...what window were you and Leon planning to shoot for ?"  
  
Marcy knew where Claire was going with this- and she liked it.  
  
"Well, since Leon thinks I still need to do some hacking, we were  
  
supposed to go tomorrow at 8:00 AM...however, I personally think the 3:07 AM window is better..."  
  
If Chris knew what his sister was planning, he would kill her...  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Three missions, all in different places. Minor injuries, another bullet wound, and close to no recovery time. An exhausted Leon sat on the couch, aimlessly staring out of the window. Except for the few scant rays of light the moon provided, it was pitch black in Jill's apartment. These thoughts ran over and over in his head for hours as he hopelessly tried to get some sleep.  
  
"if I'm so tired, why can't I just fall asleep already!?"  
  
Hopeless...  
  
With a heavy sigh, Leon craned his neck back, propping it on the soft, cushony back of the couch. His clear, frustrated blue eyes scanned the ceiling. Unable to sleep, he kept his mind occupied by thinking about the mission, the virus, Umbrella, Raccoon...  
  
...and Claire.  
  
Running into her like that...it was more than he could ask for. Seeing her again bought so much back to him; not just memories, but something else. The "something else" he couldn't quite pinpoint, but it was definitely there.   
  
"What about Ada, Leon? Remember her?"  
  
Ada...  
  
Right before she died, she told him how she felt about him. "Why should I believe her," Leon thought. "Everything else she ever told me was a lie..." He couldn't be mad at her, though. Maybe that's why he was still mad at himself for not protecting her- not doing his job.  
  
"Yea...what job?"  
  
The more he thought about it, the more he didn't- couldn't- understand. He could still picture in his mind, as if it had just happened seconds ago, the way she looked as she fell to her death. He couldn't let go of the image, and it hurt him to think she could let go that easily.  
  
"That's right, Leon. She let go...you tried to save her..."  
  
  
  
He shook the thought out of his head. No use beating himself up over something that already happened.  
  
"And this is why I can't get any sleep..."  
  
With another sigh, Leon tried closing his eyes. He immidiately opened them again when he heard the faint squeeking of the apartment's floorboards.  
  
...footsteps...  
  
He swung around to see who was sneaking around behind him.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Hey, Kennedy...I sense that hint of dissapointment in your voice. Bet you were hoping it was the other Redfield..."  
  
Even in the pitch black of the apartment, Chris could tell he was blushing.  
  
"A-and what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
A smirk grew on Chris' face. "Ahh, nothing...nothing at all."  
  
"Sure..."  
  
Chris kept talking as he walked over to the window. An eery, white glow engulfed Chris as the moonlight spilled through the transparent, watery-clear glass of the window.  
  
"I actually did come out here to talk about Claire."  
  
Even more cautious, Leon stood up and slowly and made his way over to the window.  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
Turning to Leon, Chris' face turned overly serious.  
  
  
  
"Here it comes...'Stay the hell away from my sister,' or maybe 'Don't even think about her- I'll kill you before you can-'"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
That was a suprise...  
  
"I never actually got to thank you for keeping an eye on her while you two were in Raccoon...and especially for finding me and getting the message she was stuck on Rockfort to me in time, and- what's the matter? You look confused...and a little pale..."  
  
That was not what he was expecting at all. Leon fumbled for words as to not look too obvious.  
  
"O-oh,no, I'm fine. I'm just-I guess I'm a little tired."  
  
"Yea, I figured that..heard ya talking to yourself..."  
  
No wonder this guy was on S.T.A.R.S...  
  
"Anyway, I also wanted to ask you something about the, uh, mission."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"Well, you mentioned before about finding the anti-virus. I was just curious... why not just take the virus?"  
  
"That's exactly what I thought at first, but it makes sense. The anti- virus is essentially another form of the T-virus. The virus had to be developped before a cure could be synthesized..."  
  
Chris nodded. "True, true."  
  
"So with the anti-virus, we can prove Umbrella  
  
  
  
needed it. They needed it to reverse the effects of the T-virus, should an accident ever occur..."  
  
"Wow...good thinking there, Kennedy."  
  
"Thanks. Plus- well you heard what Marcy said before about using it for ourselves and doing more research on it...anyway, the point is this: Umbrella is expecting us to take the virus. We're going for the element of suprise, here..."  
  
About halfway through Leon's ramble, a pang of guilt struck Chris. He was downright rude to Marcy before. "I feel like a total ass..."  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Leon, hold on a minute. I have to apologize to Marcy."  
  
Once again, a confused look crossed Leon's face.  
  
"Right now?"  
  
He heard Chris softly say "Yes" as he made his way over to his sister's room. Gently rapping at her door, he quietly asked his sister if it was okay to come in.  
  
"Claire? Claire- it's me. Is Marcy there with you?"  
  
No answer.  
  
Chris continued his apology as he opened the creaky door.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry about before...I was out of line, and-"  
  
No one.  
  
Leon was now standing next to him, peering into the seemingly empty room. Chris entered, searching and surveying the room carefully as he walked around.  
  
"Chris..."  
  
He knew what Leon was going to say. He just knew it.  
  
"I take my eyes of her for a second, and now this!?!"  
  
"Chris, I think-"  
  
"I know, Leon. I know." 


	6. Encounter

Chapter 5"Encouner"  
  
"Why did I think of this, Chris is gonna kill me! Oh, man, I should have just 'taken it easy...'"  
  
Claire's paranoia was obviously showcased by her frantic pasing back and forth, arms crossed. Marcy was concentrating on the computer screen in front of her. A clear bar on the screen slowly turned blue as data downloaded onto marcy's disk.  
  
"Claire, I told you...Umbrella doesn't even know we're in here, there's no way we're going to be attacked by them or their...experiments."  
  
"I'm more worried about my brother finding me right now than a zombie..."  
  
Regardless of what Marcy had told her about the mission and how they were "completely safe," Claire wasn't taking any chances. Lucky for her, she was staying in an apartment with two ex-S.T.A.R.S. members;it was easy to find some kind of weapon, should Umbrella's amazing track record  
  
remain flawless. Claire patted the simple baretta at her side, making sure she didn't lose it when they snuck in.  
  
Looking around the  
  
lab complex, Claire's hatred for Umbrella grew even more. Through a heavily locked, out-of-the-way hidden door in the Chemistry building was a long, winding hallway. Lucky for Claire (again) she was carrying the lighter her brother gave her. It actaully wasn't the same one she always had on her- she gave that one to the helpless Rodrigo back on Rockfort. As Claire and marcy cautiously made their way through the matallic-panelled hallway, the eery light given off by the lighter cast their blurry shadows on the floor and walls. When they reached the next digitally locked door, Marcy quickly overrided Umbrella's own 7-digit security code with her own. Claire looked over her shoulder as she punched it in: 0019728  
  
Oddly enough there were no lab personel anywhere in the hidden lab complex. She knew there would be no students here now, but what about Umbrella's employees? Claire had immidiately brased herself for the worse.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
Marcy said there was no one there due to the computer shut-down. "Who can do their work without their computers?" Still, Claire thought it was a little strange they only needed to evade two sleeping security guards when they entered the Chemistry building.  
  
"So far, so good," Claire admitted to herself.  
  
"Done."  
  
Marcy tapped a few more keys before taking her disk out and unplugging her laptop from Umbrella's computer. "I know where they're keeping the anti-virus. Let's go."  
  
On the move again. While Marcy was busy hacking, Claire had searched the room for something a little more illuminating than her dinky lighter. Sucess was found in the form of a Coleman camping spotlight-lamp and a regular flashlight. Trying to keep up with Marcy, Claire thought of a cery important question she probably should have asked before she suggested to undertake the mission ahead of time.  
  
"Uh, Marcy? I was just thinking..between 'windows.' does the staff come back in here?"  
  
Between counting the numbers on the doors as she passed by them, Marcy answered.  
  
"Ahhh-yes. That's why we need to get in, get the anti-virus, and get out."  
  
No matter how many times Claire had previously dealt with umbrella, she always felt a little nervous, paranoid- and a little afraid.  
  
"Who wouldn't be?"  
  
"...uugghhh..."  
  
"Claire, are you okay?"  
  
Marcy turned around and saw Claire, standing dead in her tracks.  
  
"Claire?"  
  
"Shhhh..."  
  
Both girls looked around, not really sure of what they were looking for. Marcy pinted strait ahead of them at the "fork" in the hallway.  
  
"Claire, we turn left up there...there should be a room-"  
  
"SHHHH!"  
  
...silence...  
  
  
"...uuuugghhhh"  
"I knew it! Damn!"  
  
"That wasn't you before, was it?"  
  
She didn't answer. Right now taking the safety off the baretta was CLaire's first concern. Marcy picked up the flashlight she was carrying and directed both light sources ahead of them,  
  
...a shadow...strait in front of them...  
  
Carefully aiming the gun, Claire slowly, steadily walked past Marcy...  
  
...and then she heard it; a sound she had never heard before in her life- not even in Raccoon. What started out as a sick, mumbled groaning noise grew into a grizzly, liquidy hissing sound. A chill ran through Claire's body.  
  
"What the hell was that?!"  
  
Marcy finally started viewing the situation from CLaire's point of view. The light at the end of the hallway shivered back and forth; Marcy was shaking too much to keep it steady.  
  
Claire took a few more steps.  
  
"Come on, you freak... I'll shoot your ass before you even-"  
  
She heard Marcy violently gasp when it stepped into view. Crimson red flesh with streaming, tacky wounds, clouded, soul-less eyes, long decaying...claw?  
  
"Since when do they haveclaws!?!"  
  
This zombie was nothing like the ones she remembered in Raccoon City. Nonetheless...  
  
BAM!BAM!BAM!  
  
Three clear shots to the head had no effect on the devil-creature. It snapped its body back into position, it's flesh- the color of the firey pits of hell, itself- gleemed and shone in the artificial light. Letting out a horrifying shriek a few decibals louder than before, it ran towards Claire and Marcy.  
  
...it ran  
  
Panicking, Marcy let out a scream, dropping the smaller of the two flashlights. She turned around and started running in the other direction.  
  
"Marcy, NO!!"  
  
BAM!BAM!BAM!  
  
"It's still running..."  
  
The zombie closed in on Claire, yellow, cracked claws reaching frantically for her. Ducking under it's flailing arms, CLaire dove behind it, hitting the floor hard.  
  
BAM!BAM!  
  
It lurched forward, but just as it had done before, snapped back into place.  
  
"Marcy! I can hardly see! Get your ass back here!"  
  
She rolled out of the way right before a handful of claws tore through her vulnerable arm. Unfortunately she rolled rioght into the wall, bruising her other arm. She never realized how narrow the hallway actually was until now. Sucking up the pain, CLaire quickly stood up and hopped back a few steps, pointing her gun where the moster was.  
  
...or where it was supposed tp be...  
  
There was no sign of it. She looked to her left, the fallen flashlight shedding some light down the dark, morbid hallway.  
  
"Marcy!"  
  
The girl ran back to Claire, lamp and laptop still safe in her bear- trap grasp. Her usually cool eyes were wide with fear.  
  
"Claire! Claire! I don't know where it went! I didn't see- we need to-" She was gasping for air. Claire grabbed her wrist and spoke softly, but quickly.  
  
"Marcy, Breath! Come on...you said take a left up there?"  
  
Marcy nodded- it was the only thing she could do.  
  
"Good. Now let's get goin before that thing comes back."  
  
Running towards the door, with Claire practically towing Marcy along, their loud, rapid footsteps filled the corridor with noise. They banked the corner, nearly falling to the floor.  
  
"There it is!"  
  
The duo flew through the door and quickly turned the lights on.  
  
Claire could swear she heard the red beast shrieking as she violently slammed the door shut. 


	7. Truth

I didn't notice how many spelling and grammar oopsies there were in this thing! I can write, but typing is something else, and I typed this such a long time ago I didn't realize how messed up some stuff was lol sorry about that! Also, the italics and stuff aren't showing up, so there are parts when characters are thinking things, but they look like normal sentences (but I think it's easy to figure those things out by what the character is saying). Thanks to those who reviewed, and PLEASE if you haven't reviewed yet..review!! thanks!  
  
Chapter 6"Truth"  
  
The room wasn't too big. The only other door besides the one that led back into the hallway was located on the east side of the room. Claire wasted no time reloading the baretta. Marcy turned on one of the hibernationg computers, quickly accessing the codes to the anti-virus' cooled chamber. Despite being severely rattled by the recent events, she opened the chamber, allowing Claire to sneak in and grab what looked like a metal suitcase. Inside, there was a syringe- type contraption, used for administrating the anti-virus they assumed, and four slots used to hold vials. While in the chamber, Claire carefully placed all of the anti-virus vials into the case. She realized there were only three vials, leaving the fourth spot in the case empty.  
  
Opening the chamber was the extent of Marcy's abilities at the present moment. She now sat quietly on the floor next to the humming computer. Claire, figuring she should give Marcy a few minutes to collect herself, sat in front of the computer.  
  
"I've always wanted to sneak a peek into the minds of the sickos that work here..."  
  
Claick, scroll, click, scroll...  
  
With Marcy's program, accessing Umbrella's secret files was easier than checking her own e-mail. Claire was amazed at how such a young girl was able to create something like this. She was definitely a key asset in the fight against Umbrella.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
Claire read the title of the next document to herself:  
  
"Spencer Mansion- The Hive."  
  
Clicking on the file brought her to a sub-menu.  
  
"'The Red Queen,''Umbella Sanitation,''T-Virus Incident; Case Study,''Nemesis Project...'"  
  
An evil smile adorned Claire's face as she commanded Marcy's laptop to download all of the files to disk. Not only did they have the anti-virus, now they would have documents from Umbrella itself admitting to its mistakes.  
  
"Wait until Chris sees this!"  
  
A tiny ping noise from the computer told Claire the deed was done. Claire's eyes glanced at the menu again.  
  
"Nemesis Project..."  
  
The Nemesis creature had been haunting Claire ever since Jill told her about it. She was curious. What would posess someone to create such a horrifying monster? She wanted to know, and this was her chance. Hesitating for a moment, Claire finally double clcked the file.  
  
She was bombarded with tons of information. Everything from from the procedure used to turn the victim into the Nemesis to the creature's combat data was displayed. And then she saw it; a picture of the most terrifying thing she had ever seen in her life.  
  
"Oh, my god..."  
  
Not able to bear the sight of it anymore, Claire scrolled down and continued to read the vital information. She wished, at that moment, that she hadn't.  
  
The file contained everything- including information about the person used in the project. "No, Claire told herself, "No, this-this isn't...how could they!?!" She covered her mouth with her hand in disgust and shook her head, refusing to believe the name displayed on the monitor was the victim:  
  
Matthew Addison.  
  
Marcy's brother.  
  
Marcy's brother, whom she looked up to more than anyone, whom she strongly felt was still alive...  
  
"Claire?"  
  
Moving faster than she thought herself capable of, Claire quickly closed the file. She couldn't tell her now- Marcy was distraut enough from their ambush in the hallway.  
  
"Y-yes, Marcy?"  
  
"We need to get out of here now. We have what we came for..."  
  
She was fine. All she needed was a few minutes to herself, and Marcy was her usual cool, calm, and collected self again. She never ceased to amaze Claire.  
  
"Yea, you're right-"  
  
BANG!  
  
Both startled girls turned around, Claire nearly sliding right out of her chair. They looked all around the room, eyes wide and unblinking, for the souce of the disturbance.  
  
BANG!BANG!  
  
The door.  
  
Marcy hopped up from the floor and unplugged her laptop. Claire aimed at the door as the two girls made their way to the other door. Unfortunately, it was electronically locked like most of the locks in the lab. Marcy, uploading her lock override program into the device on the door, mearly shrugged.  
  
"Hmf! This is no problem for-"  
  
BANG!!!  
  
Both watched in horror as the door flung open and their attacker from earlier stood in the door frame.  
  
"We have a problem, now..."  
  
Marcy pounded at the key pad.  
  
"Marcy, no pressure, but...hurry up!!!"  
  
She fired a few shots, hoping to keep the visious creature at bay. Instead, it absorbed the bullets like a sponge soaks up water.  
  
And then it screamed- that ear-wrenching, soul-shattering shriek- before reaching out with its razor-edged claws. A tiny ping noise sounded from the door lock device. Marcy swung the door open as the angered zombie sprinted for them.  
  
BAM!BAM!  
  
The fresh bullet holes in the zombie spit out spurts of it's infected blood like a miniature sprinkler. Marcy and Claire, now on the other side of the door, placed their hands on the broad, heavy door to slam it shut-  
  
-when a red hand shot out from the other side.  
  
"Don't let it scratch you! Quick! Shut the door!"  
  
Both girls pushed the door with all of their might. The snarls of the creature kept their nerves screaming.  
  
"For a decaying corpse, it sure puts up a good fight."  
  
Placing the gun directly on the walking corpse's hand, Claire fired at point-blank range. It screamed and hissed as Claire continued demolishing its red, pulpy hand. Marcy, seeing the desicrated ,limp hand, slammed her shoulder into the door, finally closing it. They both heard a sickening crunching sound as the door's electronic lock switched back on, piercing the zombie's already mangled appendage. It was sealed inside the door- the zombie was stuck there.  
  
BANG!BANG!BANG!  
  
Amid the bloody screaming, Claire and Marcy quickly backed away from the door. The continuous pounding from the other side told them the thing was going into convultions struggling to free itself from its trap.  
  
"He's not going anywhere for a while."  
  
Marcy, gasping for air, nodded in agreement.  
  
"...yea..."  
  
Claire's brief smile quickly faded as she remembered the files she had read earlier.  
  
"Umbrella...Nemesis Project...Addison..."  
  
Marcy walked ahead of Claire. Her footsteps made a hollow, echoing sound as she trodded across a metal platform. Claire followed her across the narrow, elevated walkway into the darkness ahead of them. In all of the commotion, they both forgot to pick the flashlights back up.  
  
A faint humming noise suddenly filled the air above them. With a tiny flicker, a few of the flourescent lights on the ceiling turned on, shedding some light into the unseemingly large room.  
  
Marcy, cursing under her breath, stated the painfully obvious truth to Claire.  
  
"Someone knows we're here."  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
"Claire?"  
  
She turned around and saw Claire looking over the platform's unsturdy railing. Curious, she walked over to Claire.  
  
"What are you gawking at?" she asked her jokingly.  
  
When she saw it for herself, Marcy realized the situation below the elevated catwalk they stood on wasn't a joke:  
  
Rows and rows of stasis chambers, many of which were open, shattered-  
  
-or empty. 


	8. Some Old Friends

Chapter 7"Some Old Friends..."  
  
"We really need to get out of here..."  
  
Looking opposite from the way they came, Claire hoped to find another door on the other side of the catwalk-  
  
-nothing.  
  
She held the gun tightly as she slowly scanned the area on the catwalk in front of her. Marcy shivered at the empty soud Claire's boots made on the the cold, metal platform as she walked to the other side.  
  
"Marcy! Hey! There's some steps leading down to another platform! Maybe there's a door-"  
  
Click...click, click...click...  
  
Marcy was aout to respond when Claire held up a silencing finger.  
  
Click, click...click, click, click...  
  
She knew this sound; in fact, she knew it too well...  
  
"Marcy," Claire began calmly," Marcy, come over here...quickly."  
  
Marcy didn't question the more experienced girl. Toting her laptop and the silvery metal case, she speed-walked in Claire's direction.  
  
BANG!  
  
The platform rattled and shook. Marcy didn't see anything in front of her, but from the look on Claire's face she assumed the problem was behind her. She turned her head to see what Claire apparently already saw when the platform shook again:  
  
A four-legged creature, about the size of a human crouched on all fours, clung to the ground with its massive claws. Its body was just as shimmery as the zombie she had the unfortunate priveledge of meeting in the hall earlier. The exposed tendons and ligaments expanded and contracted when the abomination moved one arm forward, its claws slicing right through the platform. The two most disturbing features, though, were its exposed brain cavity and long, lance-like tounge, which the creature was slowly sticking out as it hissed.  
  
"Marcy! Get away from that thing! Watch out for its tounge!"  
  
She turned towards Claire's voice and started to sprint, but stopped short when she realized what she feared was true- she was surrounded.  
  
"C-claire!!"  
  
She fired off a few shots to distract the unusually large licker. The creature, however, wasn't phased. It lashed out at Marcy with lightening fast reflexes, hitting the computer which she held out in front of her to defend against its claws. The demolished laptop fell to the floor, its exposed wires sparking for a second, with a loud clank. Even in the heat of the moment, Marcy couldn't leave her data behind.  
  
"Marcy! What are you doing!? Get up!"  
  
The younger girl fell to her knees and rumaged wildly through her laptop's remains.  
  
"Marcy!! Come on! Get-"  
  
-and then she realized what Marcy was looking for. The disk that contained not only her data but Umbrella's data, as well, was safely in her hands now. When she stood up, she shoved it in her pocket. The lickers started to increase in their numbers, surrounding Marcy and slowly creeping up on Claire. The younger girl looked across the platform with sad eyes. She placed the silvery case on the floor, put her foot on it, and kicked it, sending ie sliding in Claire's direction.  
  
"Take it."  
  
Claire looked down at the case. Marcy was sacrificing herself so Claire could get out with the anti-virus.  
  
"No..."  
  
"Just go! Take it and save yourself!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Claire raised her gun knowing a few bullets wouldn't stop them. Her mind was screaming, panicking, and frantically trying to think.  
  
"I need to think! I can't let her die like this!"  
  
The lickers, now ten in number, were closing in on Marcy, who had never looked so calm in all the short time Claire knew her. Claire was running out of time. She looked down.  
  
"The anti-virus."  
  
It was a long-shot, but the only shot they had. Claire opened the case. In all the commotion, one vial broke, but two still remained intact. She took one out and tightly latched the case shut again.  
  
"I hope this works..."  
  
Remembering what Marcy and Leon had said about developing a weapon to fight T-Virus infected organisms was information she silently thanked herself for remembering. She checked her gun- five bullets left. Five chances to get this right.  
  
"Marcy! Cover you face!"  
  
With no hopes left, Marcy obidiently listened to Claire. Taking a deep breath, Claire heaved the vial into the air above the mass of lickers. As the vial hung in mid-air, Claire quickly aimed her gun.  
  
BAM!  
  
Nothing.  
  
BAM!BAM!  
  
And then she heard it- a shattering sound. Little shards of glass fell to the platform like tiny rain droplets confirming what Claire hoped was true.  
  
In one deafening chorus, the lickers hissed and squeeled in pain. Those that were hit with more anti-virus than the others were burning, a noxious smell rising from their smoking flesh.  
  
"Marcy! Come on!"  
  
She knew better than to stand and gawk at the lickers, their flesh bubbling and acidy. Marcy ran, leaping over one of the dilapidated creatures.  
  
"Claire-"  
  
"We have to get out of here, now!"  
  
Both girls scurried down the stairs, carefull not to fall. On the lower platform there was another door.  
  
"Go!"  
  
They raced for the door, trying to ignore the horrifying screams of the injured lickers.  
  
BANG!  
  
Claire nearly fell when one of the creatures fell from the platform above, maybe two feet behind her.  
  
"Don't look back! Keep running!"  
  
Claire didn't even see Marcy open the door. All she remembered was running through it and slamming it closed.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
  
  
They were back in the first long, winding hallway again. Claire knew the two bullets she had left wouldn't be enough to kill the crimson zombie that was roaming the halls. On the bright side, though, they could see now that the lights were back on.  
  
"Look!"  
  
Marcy pointed in front of Claire at a tall dark sillouette. It was walking towards them too casually to be a zombie. The mysterious figure, now in full view, was much worse than any zombie or licker.  
  
"Why, hello, Miss Redfield. Oh, and what a suprise! Miss Addison, as well!"  
  
The bleach-blond spiked-up hair, the black clothes, the black shiny sunglasses...  
  
Claire inched back, gun aimed.  
  
"Oh, come now. I'm not like those zombies..."  
  
The sight of him made her sick. Her brother was right; No matter how careful she was, Albert Wesker would find her.  
  
"Well, not entirely like the zombies, anyway." 


	9. Escape?

Chapter 8 "Escape?  
  
"Wesker, what the hell do you want with us?"  
  
"Want with you? My dear, do you think you and Miss Addison are the only two people who knew about the 'windows?'"  
  
He was too close to them- Claire could see herself in his liquidy ebony stare. He continued to inch closer and closer- Claire and Marcy backed up as far as they could.   
  
"why would you care about that?"  
  
It was a stupid question, but Claire needed to buy them some time.  
  
"You're here for the same reason I am; to obtain a little piece of Umbrella's research."  
  
Wesker held up the fourth vial that was missing from the anti-virus chamber. "I figured since I already own a handsome T-Veronica sample, why not try to build my collection and play with their research?"  
  
At the mention of the T-Veronica virus, a raging anger exploded in Claire. He knew how to get to her, how to play with her mind.  
  
"I take it you're the one who turned the power back on?"  
  
"When I came here, I had no intention of staying any longer than I had to. Take the anti-virus, leave a little...suprise for the employees to deal with when they came back- that was it. But then, I noticed you two sneaking around. Of course I had to have some fun with you."  
  
Only two feet away, Wesker lowered his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose and stared at Marcy. She gasped a little when his firey gaze fell upon her. Marcy realized, at that point, he was no longer a human being. He extended his arm and put his hand in Marcy's pockets, obviously searching for something; she didn't move.  
  
"A-ha!"  
  
He pulled the bright orange disk out of her pocket. Marcy uttered a small, feeble "No."  
  
"Well, I have what I came for."  
  
Suprisingly, he turned and started to walk away.  
  
"Oh, wait," Wesker mockingly said as he turned around again, anti-virus in one hand, disk in the other. "Don't have any hard feelings about this-"  
  
"Too late for that."  
  
Wesker smiled. "No need for the sarcasm, Miss Redfield. Doen't matter...you two will be locked down here, so you can rot with the corpses."  
  
Claire aimed her gun, finger itching to fire.  
  
BAM!  
  
Wesker gasped in pain when the precious vial he held in his hand exploded, spraying the liguid anti-virus everywhere. Two more figures came into view, one running towards Wesker, Marcy and Claire. Taking advantage of Wesker's momentary incapacitation, the figure crashed into the S.T.A.R.S. traitor. Both fell to the floor, Wesker rolling ino the wall and dropping the disk. Much like the lickers, his skin was bubbling and burning.  
  
"If he had this, chances are we need it more," stated Wesker's attacker and Claire and Marcy's savior as he picked up the disk. Without anyone noticing, he shoved it in one of the many side pockets on his belt. "Let's go!"  
  
Claire immediately dragged Marcy towards the friendly voice. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.  
  
"Leon!!!"  
  
Forgetting where she was and what was happening, Claire wrapped her arms around Leon- he did the same to her. For the first time since the Stonybrook disaster occured, she finally felt safe.  
  
"Leon! Let's get out of here! Some of the Umbrella employees are coming back!"  
  
Chris!?  
  
At the enterence to the hallway, Claire's brother beckoned Leon, Marcy, and Claire to hurry up.  
  
"Come-"  
  
Chris hissed in pain- the red zombie was back, claws slashing wildly at him. He grasped his arm, blood slowly trickling down his hand and soaking his sleeve. Reaching into his pocket, Chris pulled out a small, cylandrical device and shoved it into the zombie's gaping mouth, jaw cracking. He pulled something out of the device- a pin- and ran towards the rest of his comrades.  
  
"Get down!"  
  
A small but powerful blast erupted in the hallway, filling it with a blinding white light.  
  
"Serves you right, you son of a-"  
  
Chris winced in pain, cutting his sentence short. He was infected. Picking up the silvery metal cse, Marcy ran over to Chris, opening it as she moved. She stared at the last vial for a short moment. They came for the anti-virus, and for a short time, they had it. Loading the serum into the injection gun, Marcy silently repremanded herself for breaking the other vial earlier when she kicked it to Claire. They had nothing, now- not even her laptop or data. But this is what it was for, wasn't it? Saving lives?  
  
"Marcy, before- back at the apartment...I'm sor-"  
  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
She smiled. Saving Claire's brother was almost like saving her own. Besides being very similar to her own brother- Matt- she felt as though he had automatically become her brother because Claire was like a sister to her. She had done so much to help and protect Marcy. She wanted to repay Claire for her kindness any way she could.  
  
"Let's get out of here before he wakes up," Leon said, pointing to an unconsious Wesker. Claire ranover to Chris, apologizing evey step of the way. The four of them ran back through the "hidden" door into Stonybrook's Chemistry building.  
  
"Almost there," Chris panted. "Jill's waiting for us over-"  
  
"HALT!! Identify yourselves!"  
  
The Umbrella employees were back, complete with a few of their elite "Sanitation" members. They ran after the escapees, catching up to the lagging, red-headed one.  
  
"Leon! Hurry up!"  
  
Claire looked back and noticed Leon was slowing down.  
  
"Tired,"Leon's mind drawled. "So...tired."  
  
Claire ran back to leon, much to her brother's dismay.  
  
"Claire, no! Just go! Save yourself!"  
  
She shook her head. "No, Leon. We're getting out of here...all of us."  
  
Ever since Leon joined the anti-Umbrella organization, he want on non- stop, one-after-the-other missions. All he wanted to do was stop- and rest. The Sanitation commandos were catching up.  
  
"Claire..."  
  
She stared at him, at his sad, blue eyes. "Claire, this isn't the end."  
  
She couldn't answer. Backing up slowly, she didn't take her gaze off him.  
  
"Leon?"  
  
He collapsed, drained of any energy he had,  
  
"LEON!"  
  
A strong hand clasped her arm when she tried to run back to Leon.  
  
"Claire, we have to get out of here!"  
  
Dragging Claire, Chris ran to Jill's car. Marcy was already there.  
  
"Where's Leon?" Jill inquired when the three were safely in the car.  
  
Chris looked down and whipered, so only Jill could hear him. "Run now and live to fight another day."  
  
Jill nodded, understanding completely what Chria was trying to tell her.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Claire stared out the window at the rising sun. As brave as she was, and as unbreakable as she believed she was, she couldn't keep it in her anymore. A single tear rolled down her cheek. After all that happened, Raccoon, Rockfort and now Stonybrook, everything finally set in. Her small, streaming tears turned into sobs- the tears falling more freely now.  
  
"Claire?"  
  
Marcy turned to the older girl. She out a compforting arm around Claire.  
  
"Marcy?"  
  
She had to tell her. With the disk gone now, she would never know what Claire knew about her brother Matt.  
  
"Yes, Claire?"  
  
"I need to tell you something..."  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Chris stared out of the bright apartment's window. Marcy was nowhere to be seen. Claire assumed that she cried herself to sleep. She felt horrible about telling her about her brother, but she had to know- it wouldn't be fair. She'd be living in her own illusion and Claire would be lying.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
She slowly walked over to her brother, dreading anything he might say to her. He turned and looked at her. Claire was prepared for the worst- a "lock-down" like no other.  
  
"Claire," he started. She was taken completely off guard when he stepped forward and hugged her. "You have to stop doing that...I was worried sick about you." 


	10. Epilouge

Epilouge"Still My Life"  
  
Marcy knows know. I didn't want to tell her when I did, but she had a right to know. Better sooner than later, right?  
  
Jill, especially, was horrified to hear that Marcy's brother was turned into the Nemesis monster that pursued her throughout Raccoon City. For a few weeks, Marcy didn't even report back to her "Commander Brady." She's doing a little better now, but I don't think she will ever be the same. The disk is gone, probab;y destroyed, and now we have nothing to expose Umbrella.   
  
When she started talking again, I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for saving my brother back at Stonybrook. It's funny, I feel like she's my little sister now. We've grown so close over the past few weeks. We're so similar in many ways...almost like we were meant to be kindred spirits, sharing our hardships and pain with each other, helping each other through it...  
  
Chris and I are on good terms again, and I'm more than extatic that he is still alive.  
  
"This isn't the end."  
  
Those were his last words to me. I swear I will find Leon and bring him back safely- or die trying.  
  
Umbrella has taken a lot away from me, but for some reason losing Leon hurts me more than I could ever imagine. You never do realize how much you love someone until you lose them and it's out of your control.  
  
No- I shouldn't say that. It's not out of my control. Umbrella will pay- they'll pay dearly.  
  
I won't "take it easy," and I won't "lay low." I'm getting even, with or without anyone's help. And Wesker? Screw Wesker. The next time I see him I'll be prepered- his ass is mine. I'm not afraid anymore, and I can't run forever.  
  
I won't run forever...  
  
This is it. This is Umbrella's end, and I'm Their harbringer. As this is my final entry in here, I 'm concentrating all of my enery and resources on finding Leon and obliterating Umbrella. Why? I said it once, and I'll say it again:  
  
This is my life.  
  
-Claire Redfield  
  
final entry- 3/15/99  
  
THE END  
  
Thanks everybody for reading! Don't forget to review!! And yes, I'm working on a sequel :D 


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